Tottenham Hotspur will endeavour to consolidate their place in the top four of the Premier League when they travel to St James' Park to lock horns with European hopefuls Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime.
The Magpies will be seeking revenge after they were put to the sword 4-1 by Spurs in the reverse fixture in North London four months ago.
Match preview
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After entering March's international break with back-to-back defeats, Newcastle United have since collected seven points from their last three Premier League fixtures to boost their chances of securing at least a top-seven finish.
The Magpies were held to a 1-1 at home against Everton just a few days after claiming a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over West Ham United, but they returned to winning ways last weekend when they edged past Fulham by a 1-0 scoreline at Craven Cottage.
Bruno Guimaraes scored nine minutes from time on his 100th appearance for Newcastle to secure maximum points for Eddie Howe's side, who sit eighth in the top-flight standings and just one point behind seventh-placed West Ham United, who have played a game more.
Newcastle, who are looking to win consecutive league games for the first time since December, will welcome a return to St James' Park where they are unbeaten in their last five matches, scoring 14 goals in the process.
The Magpies will reminisce about their last home meeting with Spurs in April 2023 when they thumped the North Londoners 6-1, leading 3-0 after just nine minutes and 5-0 within the first 21 minutes. Repeating that success will be a tall order, but Tottenham's recent away record - just two wins in their last nine - bodes well for Howe and co ahead of Saturday's contest.
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Although their form on the road is a cause for concern, Tottenham have now won eight of their last nine Premier League home games in North London, including last weekend's 3-1 success over Nottingham Forest.
Spurs were made to work for all three points against a spirited Forest outfit and were forced to enter half time level after their opener - an own goal from Murillo - was cancelled out by Chris Wood. However, defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro scored within the space of six second-half minutes to fire the Lilywhites to an important victory.
Tottenham have now scored 11 Premier League goals through defenders so far this term, the joint-most in the division alongside rivals Arsenal, and their win over Forest helped them leapfrog Aston Villa into fourth spot, now sitting above the fifth-placed Villains on goal difference with a game in hand.
With just seven games left to play, Ange Postecoglou has reiterated his stance that he "couldn't care less" about the race for fourth spot and instead wants to see signs of improvement in his squad, who are now gearing up for a challenging set of fixtures against Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Victory over Newcastle, whom they have beaten in four of their last six visits to St James' Park, would provide Spurs with a huge boost ahead of a 15-day break in preparation for a potentially pivotal North London derby on home soil on April 28.
Team News
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Newcastle's lengthy injury list includes Joelinton (thigh) - who signed a new long-term contract on Thursday - Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles (both ACL), Lewis Miley (back), Kieran Trippier (calf), Nick Pope (shoulder), Valentino Livramento (ankle) and Miguel Almiron (knee).
Both Matt Targett and Joe Willock are nursing Achilles injuries and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, but neither player is expected to start if they pass a late fitness test.
Due to the number of absentees, Howe is set to name a similar side to the one that beat Fulham last time out, although Elliot Anderson is the most likely candidate to start in centre-midfield at the expense of Willock, while Harvey Barnes will battle with Jacob Murphy for a start in attack alongside Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak.
As for Tottenham, Fraser Forster (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Manor Solomon (knee) all remain sidelined, while a late call is set to be made on the fitness of Richarlison, who missed the win over Forest with a knee injury.
Postecoglou has fielded 19 different centre-midfield combinations so far this season, so rotation in the middle of the pitch could be on the cards this weekend, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso all pushing to start ahead of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr.
Son Heung-min, who contributed to three of Spurs' four goals (one goal, two assists) in the 4-1 home win over Newcastle earlier this season, is expected to lead the line if Richarlison is not deemed fit to feature, while Dejan Kulusevski will look to displace either Brennan Johnson or Timo Werner on the flanks.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Hall; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Anderson; Barnes, Isak, Gordon
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma; Johnson, Maddison, Werner; Son
We say: Newcastle United 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Along with Tottenham, Newcastle are one of only two teams to score in 100% of their Premier League home matches this season, while Spurs have found the net in each of their last 17 top-flight visits to St James' Park. Each of the last eight meetings have also seen both teams score, so goals should be on the cards this weekend.
Both sides are aware of the importance of claiming maximum points in their respective quests to qualify for Europe, but considering there is little to separate these two teams at present, the spoils may be shared in an entertaining draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
